I Cannot Leave You
by prideandpredjy
Summary: What if Darcy simply could not leave without knowing how Elizabeth reacted to the contents of that all important letter?


DRAWING ROOM - HUNSFORD -

Elizabeth was in the drawing room contemplating all that had come to pass. She moved to the mirror and stared at herself, hardly recognising the girl before her.

Suddenly Mr Darcy's face appeared behind her. She froze and they stared at each other without speaking.

"I came to leave you this." He spoke quietly, placing a letter on the table behind her.

Elizabeth did not turn but watched him through the mirror. He shut the door behind him and just as she turned towards the letter it was thrown open again. Mr Darcy re-entered the room looking somewhat distressed.

"Miss Elizabeth," he began, "I know your opinion of me and I apologise for forcing my company on you." He took a deep calming breath. "I know not how you will react to the contents of this letter but I cannot in good conscience leave you so. With this in mind I must request you allow me to remain here until you have perused my revelations."

He waited for her reply appearing somewhat uncertain and insecure.

"Very well Mr Darcy. I will retire to my room to read this letter as you have requested. However I –"

"Do not be alarmed madam" he cut her off tersely and somewhat resignedly "I will not repeat the sentiments which were last night so… disgusting to you." He stared at floor, no longer able to make eye contact with the beautiful eyes that had so utterly bewitched him. Elizabeth felt a tugging at her heart strings which did not exactly coincide with her current opinions of this gentleman. He seemed so lost. So unlike the Mr Darcy she had come to think of.

"Thank you Mr Darcy." She replied gently. "I will go now; you may stay here if you so wish. If I wish to speak with you about this, I will return in one hour. If I do not return…"

"I will understand and take my leave" he finished. She smiled sadly and left the parlour.

oooooooooo

Elizabeth paced the room as she contemplated the now crumpled sheets of paper strewn across her bed.

_She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. - Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd._

_``How despicably have I acted!'' she cried. - ``I, who have prided myself on my discernment! - I, who have valued myself on my abilities! who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity, in useless or blameable distrust. - How humiliating is this discovery! - Yet, how just a humiliation! - Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly. - Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment, I never knew myself.''_

With regards to Jane and Bingley, why she did not even know what to think! Of course his justifications were absurd but she now understood that he truly believed he was acting in his friends best interests. Surely if Lizzy had been in his shoes, watching Jane fall in love with a man who did not seem to return the sentiments, she would have acted similarly. In fact Mr Bingley himself was not irreproachable for abandoning Jane at his friend's suggestion. Surely a man in love would not be so easily swayed?

And just like that, all of Elizabeth's solid reasons for refusing Mr Darcy's hand crumbled before her very eyes. Now seeing clearly, she was arrested by a tumult of emotions that had been brewing beneath a thin layer of misguided dislike. Her feelings for this man were undoubtedly strong but all so confusing… Respect? Admiration?... Attraction?

She had to see him.

oooooooooo

The door was ajar, just as Lizzy had left it She paused outside and watched him for a moment, Mr Darcy – Fitzwilliam, as she had learned from the letter. He sat in a winged back fireside chair, leaning forward staring into the fire, elbows on his knees. His back was to her and he did not hear her quietly enter.

Slowly she moved about the room until she came to stop in front of him, breaking his reverie. He lifted his head, eyes meeting hers and Elizabeth was startled to see tears slowly streaming down the face of this proud, broken, beautiful man. She thought her heart would melt.

Emboldened by the passion in his eyes, Elizabeth slowly reached out and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her gentle touch.

"Elizabeth" he breathed.

Forgoing propriety entirely Elizabeth gave in to her increasing desire to be close to him. Gently she moved to sit directly in his lap.

He froze momentarily but as her hand moved from his cheek the back of his neck, and she rested her head on his chest, he tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, wanting this moment to last forever.

Neither knew how long they stayed like this, whether it was minutes or hours they did not care. Eventually Darcy had to know where this left them.

"Elizabeth…" he began.

"Shhh" she replied, leaning back to look him in the eye. "Fitzwilliam" his heart skipped a beat "I'm not ready to talk yet. I apologise but my thoughts are still too chaotic. I …I … I'm overwhelmed right now… all I want to do is… feel"

At her words, Darcy could no longer resist. Slowly he leaned down, and ever so gently pressed his lips against hers.

He drew back to gauge her reaction. He only caught a glimpse of dark, passionate eyes when he was pulled in for another, deeper kiss.

Her hands tangled in his hair as he slowly stroked her back, her arms, her legs.

They did not break the kiss for a long time. Neither new exactly where things would go from here.

All they knew was that they had each other.

**A.N – hello, this was just a cute little what-if-one-shot-fluff I had in my head. I know I should be trying to continue my other story but honestly school is so hectic at the moment that I just had to get this bit out of my head before I engaged my brain towards the other story. I hope you liked, thank you for reading. Please review! Also, the italics are an excerpt from P&P. all characater's and whatnot are Austen's, I'm merely a P&P fangirl if you will!**


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